During my visit to Honolulu to visit PACAF and MARFORCOM in August 2021, I had a chance to discuss how U.S. forces are shaping a way ahead for Pacific defense. Ed Timperlake and I are finishing our book entitled Maritime Kill Webs, 21st Century Warfighting and Deterrence which highlights the…
By Robbin Laird As the Marines rework how they work Pacific defense both with the joint and coalition forces, three key weapon systems enabling the effort are the F-35, the Osprey and C2 capabilities at the tactical edge. Each of these systems brings different capabilities to the fight, but the…
By India Strategic New Delhi. Sea trials have begun of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) ‘Vikrant’ designed by Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and which is being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a Public Sector Shipyard under Ministry of Shipping (MoS). “This is a major milestone and…
By Flying Officer Bronwyn Marchant The Royal Australian Air Force has successfully completed Exercise Red Flag Alaska 21-3, a two-week bilateral training exercise with the United States Air Force. The exercise, held from August 12 - 27, was an advanced large force employment activity aimed to optimise the integration of…
By Robbin Laird During a July 2021 visit to 2d Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) I talked with LtCol J. Eric Grunke and LtCol Jessica Hawkins. Grunke just relinquished responsibility to Hawkins for the Marine Aviation Training Systems (MATS) ecosystem within 2d MAW; encompassing all aviation simulators and the necessary infrastructure. …
By Robbin Laird In an article which I originally published on Breaking Defense on September 11, 2011, I recalled those events from the perspective of being in the Pentagon that day. That article follows: Early on the morning of September 11th, I had an appointment in the Pentagon with a senior…
When I visited MARFORPAC in 2014, it was the beginning of what the Obama Administration called the “Pivot to the Pacific.” But that really did not happen as the Russians seized Crimea, and the wars in the Middle East ramped up. Those demand sets still weigh heavily on the U.S.…
By Matt Gonzales MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII In August, Marine Corps Systems Command led one of the largest command and control user evaluations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. MCSC collaborated with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, Navy and Coast Guard to execute Island Marauder…
